Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Just months before her death, Marilyn Monroe gave a young photographer his big break, and this is his story

“You’re already famous, now you’re going to make me famous,” photographer Lawrence Schiller said to Marilyn Monroe as they discussed the photos he was about to shoot of her. “Don’t be so cocky,” Marilyn replied, “photographers can be easily replaced.” The year was 1962, and Schiller, 25, was on assignment for Paris Match magazine. He already knew Marilyn — they had met on the set of Let’s Make Love — but nothing could have prepared him for the day she appeared nude during a swimming pool scene for the motion picture Something’s Got to Give.

Marilyn & Me is an intimate story of a legend before her fall and a young photographer on his way to the top. Schiller’s original text and extraordinary photographs—over two thirds of which have never or rarely been published—take us back to that time, and to the surprising connection that allowed Marilyn to bond with a kid from Brooklyn, a kid with a lot of ambition but very little experience. Now, 50 years later, TASCHEN is publishing Lawrence Schiller’s story as a signed, numbered monograph limited to 1,962 copies, for the year of Monroe’s untimely death. Schiller’s is a story that has never been told before, and he tells it with tact, humor, and compassion. The result is a real and unexpected portrait that captures the star in the midst of her final struggle.

Collector’s Edition of 1,712 numbered copies (books numbered No. 251–1,962) signed by the photographer. Also available in two Art Editions of 125 copies, each with an original photograph

The book and clamshell box are covered in a custom woven duchesse silk from one of the world’s most distinguished silk mills, Taroni, of Como, Italy

Printed on archival paper

Four foldouts, with one gatefold measuring a full 110 cm (44 in.) across

Translation booklet of the text available in German, French and Spanish with purchase upon request

Synopsis:

Marilyn Monroe gave a young photographer his big break just months before her death, and this is his story

“You’re already famous, now you’re going to make me famous,” photographer Lawrence Schiller said to Marilyn Monroe as they discussed the photos he was about to shoot of her. “Don’t be so cocky,” Marilyn teased, “photographers can be easily replaced.” The year was 1962, and Schiller, 24, was on assignment for Paris Match. He knew Marilyn already — they had formed a bond two years earlier when they met on the set of Let’s Make Love — but nothing could have prepared him for that day she agreed to appear in the nude for his camera during the swimming pool scene in Something’s Got to Give. Her chronic lateness and absence soon got her fired from the film, but the worldwide publicity the photographs garnered — her first nudes since the calendar she posed for as a young starlet — guaranteed she would be hired back. But this victory was truly a pyrrhic one: Two weeks later, she was dead.

Marilyn & Me is an intimate tale of a legend before her fall and a young photographer on his way to the top. Via words and pictures, Schiller takes us back to that time, and to the surprising connection that allowed a star of her stature to open up to a kid from Brooklyn with a lot of ambition but very little experience. Onset, backstage, in her dressing room, at her house, in her car, they made pictures, made deals, and talked and talked, quite intimately at times. When Schiller asked her if she always wanted to be Marilyn Monroe, she answered candidly, “I never wanted to be her—it just happened. Marilyn’s like a veil I wear over Norma Jeane.”

50 years later, TASCHEN is releasing Lawrence Schiller’s Marilyn & Me as a limited-edition monograph, in both Collector’s and Art editions, the latter with an original photograph. Both editions are signed by the photographer and individually numbered. A unique addition to the lore of Marilyn Monroe, Schiller’s is a story that has never been told before, and he tells it with tact, humor, and compassion. It is a story brought to life by the photographs he took — from those headline-grabbing nudes to the almost surreal pictures from the day of her funeral, the tragedy of her death hanging heavy in every frame. And if Schiller isn’t already famous from his work as a photographer, director, producer, and writer, this book will surely change that.

Synopsis:

Marilyn & Me is an intimate story of a legend before her fall and a young photographer on his way to the top. Schiller’s original text and extraordinary photographs—over two thirds of which have never or rarely been published—take us back to that time, and to the surprising connection that allowed Marilyn to bond with a kid from Brooklyn, a kid with a lot of ambition but very little experience. Now, 50 years later, TASCHEN is publishing Lawrence Schiller’s story as a signed, numbered monograph limited to 1,962 copies, for the year of Monroe’s untimely death. Schiller’s is a story that has never been told before, and he tells it with tact, humor, and compassion. The result is a real and unexpected portrait that captures the star in the midst of her final struggle.

About the Author

Lawrence Schiller began his career as a photojournalist for Life, Playboy, and Paris Match, among others, photographing some of the most iconic figures of the 1960s, from Lee Harvey Oswald to Robert F. Kennedy, from Ali and Foreman to Redford and Newman. His many book collaborations include the Pulitzer Prize-winning book with Norman Mailer, The Executioner's Song; and he has written five New York Times bestsellers. He has also directed seven motion pictures and miniseries for television; The Executioner's Song and Peter the Great won five Emmys. He is also the founder of The Norman Mailer Center & Writer’s Colony in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
Marilyn Monroe gave a young photographer his big break just months before her death, and this is his story

“You’re already famous, now you’re going to make me famous,” photographer Lawrence Schiller said to Marilyn Monroe as they discussed the photos he was about to shoot of her. “Don’t be so cocky,” Marilyn teased, “photographers can be easily replaced.” The year was 1962, and Schiller, 24, was on assignment for Paris Match. He knew Marilyn already — they had formed a bond two years earlier when they met on the set of Let’s Make Love — but nothing could have prepared him for that day she agreed to appear in the nude for his camera during the swimming pool scene in Something’s Got to Give. Her chronic lateness and absence soon got her fired from the film, but the worldwide publicity the photographs garnered — her first nudes since the calendar she posed for as a young starlet — guaranteed she would be hired back. But this victory was truly a pyrrhic one: Two weeks later, she was dead.

Marilyn & Me is an intimate tale of a legend before her fall and a young photographer on his way to the top. Via words and pictures, Schiller takes us back to that time, and to the surprising connection that allowed a star of her stature to open up to a kid from Brooklyn with a lot of ambition but very little experience. Onset, backstage, in her dressing room, at her house, in her car, they made pictures, made deals, and talked and talked, quite intimately at times. When Schiller asked her if she always wanted to be Marilyn Monroe, she answered candidly, “I never wanted to be her—it just happened. Marilyn’s like a veil I wear over Norma Jeane.”

50 years later, TASCHEN is releasing Lawrence Schiller’s Marilyn & Me as a limited-edition monograph, in both Collector’s and Art editions, the latter with an original photograph. Both editions are signed by the photographer and individually numbered. A unique addition to the lore of Marilyn Monroe, Schiller’s is a story that has never been told before, and he tells it with tact, humor, and compassion. It is a story brought to life by the photographs he took — from those headline-grabbing nudes to the almost surreal pictures from the day of her funeral, the tragedy of her death hanging heavy in every frame. And if Schiller isn’t already famous from his work as a photographer, director, producer, and writer, this book will surely change that.

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,

Marilyn & Me is an intimate story of a legend before her fall and a young photographer on his way to the top. Schiller’s original text and extraordinary photographs—over two thirds of which have never or rarely been published—take us back to that time, and to the surprising connection that allowed Marilyn to bond with a kid from Brooklyn, a kid with a lot of ambition but very little experience. Now, 50 years later, TASCHEN is publishing Lawrence Schiller’s story as a signed, numbered monograph limited to 1,962 copies, for the year of Monroe’s untimely death. Schiller’s is a story that has never been told before, and he tells it with tact, humor, and compassion. The result is a real and unexpected portrait that captures the star in the midst of her final struggle.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.